Pastor's Corner ~ "Epiphany: God Revealing Himself To Us"

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The word epiphany comes from the Greek word “epiphania” which means to reveal or to manifest. The very first people who saw God in the flesh, the very first people whom God revealed himself to, and the very first witnesses of the epiphany or manifestation of God in the flesh were Mary and Joseph, then followed by the shepherds. These immediate witnesses of God were all Jews, part of the Chosen People. But God didn’t just come to reveal himself to a select or exclusive group of people—he came to reveal himself to the rest of humanity. God came for everyone, for all. That’s why the visit of the magi is quite significant. Their visit completes the revelation or the manifestation of God to the rest of humanity because they represented the “outside group—those who were on the margins”; they were not Jews, they probably didn’t speak the Hebrew language, and they were probably unfamiliar with most of the Jewish customs and traditions but, they were there. Their visit was also our visit—God’s manifestation or epiphany to them was also God’s epiphany or manifestation to us. As the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians says, “the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” And, this was shown in a beautiful and powerful way in the visit of the Magi.
The question though that we need to ask is: What does this feast of the Epiphany mean for us? What’s the importance of this for us in our life today? The first epiphany happened more than 2,000 years ago, so what’s the relevance of it for us in 2018? The challenge and relevance of this feast for us is by asking ourselves and by reflecting on how do we respond to the manifestation or epiphany of God in our lives? The characters in the Gospel today help us to analyze our own response to God’s epiphany. The magi, with the little knowledge that they had, embarked on a journey to encounter the promised Messiah—they were only led by a star; they didn’t know exactly where the star would lead them; it was not a walk in the park; they had to ask, inquire, and consult so many people in order to arrive at their destination—in order for them to discover the truth, the Truth with the capital “T”. Do we have the perseverance, patience, fortitude, prudence of the magi in encountering the Lord? This reminds me of those who are journeying right now in the RCIA program: With the limited knowledge that they have about the faith, like the magi coming from a different tradition but so open and willing to ask, to inquire, to walk, to experience awe and wonder, set out on a journey to meet the Lord, and along their way, they met people who helped them locate the manger, who guided them to finally encounter Jesus. And, after the Magi encountered Jesus and were transformed by it, they could no longer go back on the same path as before—as we heard in the Gospel, “they departed for their country by another way”. I love this description. It doesn’t just underscore choosing a different route when they returned to their homes and country, but it signifies a re-orientation of life, a new way of being, because we know once we truly encounter Jesus we cannot be the same person again. We would have to go back to our usual lives by “another way”, the way of the Gospel; we can no longer go back to a life of sin, vice and darkness. Are we like the magi? Again, do we share the perseverance, patience, fortitude, prudence of the magi in encountering the Lord?
Or, are we more like the scribes and experts of the scriptures, who knew where the Child Jesus would be but never acted on them. The Magi consulted them, and they knew the prophecy, they knew the scriptures but, it was all for show; it was all up in their heads, but never really penetrated their hearts. One would expect that they would run faster than the magi to Bethlehem and look for the Messiah. But it was just business as usual. They were indifferent. They were just content in doing their “thing” in the temple but never bothered to find Jesus. Do we look for Jesus? Does our knowledge of Jesus move us to a deeper relationship with him? How much do we really desire him? Do we act on what we know about Jesus?
If the reaction of the scribes to the epiphany of God is already disturbing, it is much more when we analyze and reflect on how Herod took this revelation and epiphany of God. Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Herod wanted to eliminate the epiphany of God all together. Are there times when we want to eliminate or erase God in our lives? What are those situations and
instances when we live and act as if there is no God? God has revealed himself to us every single day, and he comes to the Eucharist in a very personal and intimate way: How to you receive his epiphany? Like the Magi? Or like the scribes? Hopefully not like Herod!
On a different note, please welcome our guest-priests, who will be helping in our Masses while Father Anthony is on vacation. Father Anthony left on December 26 and will be back on January 20. Kindly include him in your prayers that this time away will truly be a time for spiritual and physical rejuvenation and rest. – Fr. Cary